Through Fire and Flames
by Sanctuary of Dreams
Summary: Fire alone saved the Clan. But it’s also the very thing that made Burntkit who he is; scarred. Full summary inside. Please R&R as soon as prologue is up. First fanfiction, go easy on me. Rated K and up cause it just makes sense that Warriors would be K up
1. Summary

**Warriors  
Through Fire and Flames**

_**Disclaimer:**__** I do not own nor lay claim over anything Warriors related. Warriors and all things affiliated with Warriors belong to Erin Hunter and the Harper Collins Publisher.**_

I realize that Through Fire and Flames is a song by DragonForce, but I thought it was appropriate for this fanfiction. You'll find out why, hopefully. Don't know that song? Look it up. It's a pretty good song. Long, but good.

Summary

Fire alone saved the Clan. But it's also the very thing that made Burntkit who he is;_ scarred_. As the son of Firestar, it's a tragic loss when the burned kit turns up missing. Moons later, we rejoin Burntkit as a full grown loner named Burntmask. When dreams suddenly haunt Burntmask's mind of his previous life as a kit in ThunderClan, he feels the need to go back to the forest where he was born in search of his old Clan. But when he gets there, the forest is wiped out. Dreams from StarClan tell him that ThunderClan is still alive, and that Burntmask must find them. Now, with a few allies at his side, Burntmask embarks on a great journey to find his lost Clan. Follow this cat's journey across mountains, rivers, valleys, and forests as he searches for his past and future life.

**Ok, so maybe that Through Fire and Flames song kinda fits in with the theme of this fanfiction. I was just listening to it, and I think it should be the theme song for this story. Anyways, please read and review my fanfiction. It is my first fanfiction, so please, no rude remarks.**

_The Prologue should be up in a little bit. Have patience._


	2. Prologue

**I realize the Prologue is, like, epically long, but it's important that you read it. Gives you all the background info you'll need later. Enjoy! (Omigosh I would have uploaded this chapter long ago if my internet hadn't lost connection for like 2 hours!)**

**Prologue **

"We need more goldenrod! Firestar, fetch me some goldenrod quick! Sandstorm, you need to calm down! The best thing you can do right now is to get me a few more cobwebs and some more comfrey. I've put all the herbs I could save by those rocks over there." Cinderpelt meowed urgently to Burntkit's parents, her eyes narrowed with worry but her voice strong and controlled. She indicated with her head towards the pile of herbs that she had managed to save from the fire's greedy tongue. The herbs were stacked up in a pile against a cluster of rocks where a few cats were resting and regaining their strength. The medicine cat glanced down at the small kit whose pelt was charcoaled and barely recognizable between the ashes and scars, her paws working furiously to press down what few cobwebs she had left.

Sandstorm looked on with worried glances, gasping for breath and letting out whimpers as she paced back and forth while Firestar sat behind her with equal fear in his green eyes. When Cinderpelt barked orders to them, they both stood and rushed to the pile of herbs without protesting, casting fearful glances over their shoulders the whole way.

Leaves rustled in the trees above and the forest held an eerie silence that indicated emptiness; all prey around ThunderClan camp had fled to safer regions, which meant more food for the other Clans. The rain had stopped; the clouds were still heavy and gray in the sky above, however, and moisture still clung to the air like a tick to an elders pelt. Cats from ThunderClan were padding around anxiously, casting glances towards the place camp was and wondering if the fire really was put out. Cinderpelt scanned the clearing briefly, wondering how many cats from her Clan were injured or missing. It seemed that everyone had made it out of camp fine, and Burntkit appeared to be the only one on the verge of death.

Cinderpelt turned her attention back to Burntkit, flicking her ears as she worked at an almost emotionless, robotic pace. She could feel the presence of her old mentor Yellowfang in her mind, forever watching her work. _StarClan give me strength…let me be as skilled as Yellowfang at this moment…Yellowfang! I need you! I can't do this on my own! _Cinderpelt thought desperately, her blue eyes glowing with defeat as she looked at the kit that was just barely clinging to life. Burntkit's chest rose and fell at a pace that was much to slow and weak- a sure sign that he might not even live to see the next sun rise. Cinderpelt didn't know if she had the strength to keep the newborn alive… She flicked her ears, imagining what Yellowfang would say if she could hear Cinderpelt's thoughts right then. _"Stupid mousebrain." _She'd say in her dry, raspy voice. _"You're my apprentice! I didn't train you to dawdle and whine when things get a little rough." _Cinderpelt closed her eyes and took a shaky breath in, giving an assuring nod to no one in particular before continuing her work on Burntkit.

Firestar and Sandstorm ran back over to Cinderpelt, herbs stuffed in their jaws and their tails flicking simultaneously. Firestar skidded to a halt beside Cinderpelt, setting the goldenrod down at his old apprentice's paws. "Is…is he going to make it?" The flame colored leader asked tentatively, his voice shaking with worry. It was the first time Cinderpelt had ever seen her mentor truly afraid, and it didn't do much to calm her own fears.

Sandstorm set her herbs down beside the ones Firestar had brought, her green eyes reflecting the worry shown in her mates bristling pelt. "He _is_ going to be alright, isn't he Cinderpelt? I-it's only a few scars… The fire is out now… He's not going to have to worry about the fire anymore…" Sandstorm's voice cracked as she muttered random words, trying to calm her nerves as she looked down at her only son.

Cinderpelt didn't look up at either of them, but instead grabbed the goldenrod and began chewing it into a poultice before applying it to the fleshy pink skin that was beginning to swell where Burntkit's pelt had been burned off. "I don't know yet." The medicine cat finally admitted when the anxious stares of Sandstorm and Firestar became too much for her to bear. "It's too soon to tell. Sandstorm, you should go and check up on Leafkit and Squirrelkit. They're under the Great Sycamore with Brightheart and her kit."

Sandstorm opened her mouth to protest, but hesitated and must have decided better of it before turning and rushing away towards the tall tree where Brightheart was nursing Leafkit, Squirrelkit, and her own kit Whitekit.

Cinderpelt watched the light ginger she-cat run away before turning back to her work. Firestar was fidgeting beside her, staring down at Burntkit with disbelief in his green eyes. Cinderpelt glanced at him from the corner of her eye before indicating with her tail towards the comfrey. "Would you do me a favor and chew that up?" She asked, noticing that he looked like he was feeling a little useless. Firestar nodded so sharply it seemed that his neck would have snapped off before he bent down and began chewing the black root into a poultice.

Once the comfrey root was chewed to a pulp he pushed it towards Cinderpelt, watching as she applied it to his dying kit. "I just…can't believe…" The leader murmured, staring down at the kit.

Cinderpelt glanced up at Firestar briefly while she worked. "Can't believe what?" She asked, wrapping cobwebs across the burnt side of Burntkit's face, where she noticed he was now missing an eye.

Firestar stared down at his son through unblinking green eyes. "Could we have been wrong this whole time?" He asked quietly, more to himself than to Cinderpelt. "Fire saved our Clan… fire was supposed to be on our side…how could fire destroy my only son?" His voice trailed off bitterly. Cinderpelt glanced up at Firestar, noticing the way his whiskers drooped in defeat.

Long ago, a prophecy had been sent to Firestar when he was just a kittypet. "Fire alone will save our Clan…" It had seemed that StarClan had special plans for Firestar- known as Rusty back then- and intended to bring him to the Clans to save the forest from the treacheries of the cunning murderer Tigerstar. When he was made into a ThunderClan apprentice, Rusty was named Firepaw in honor of his flame colored pelt. Soon after, following many heroic deeds on Firestar's part, everyone learned that he was the fire that would save the Clans. Ridding the forest of Tigerstar and a lethal Clan known as BloodClan, Firestar took his place as ThunderClan's noble leader and the forest's legendary protector. Yes, fire had saved the Clans many times, but now it had nearly destroyed a life. The only son of "fire" was dying, having been caught in a fire soon after his birth. The fire had raged through ThunderClan camp, and had only just been put out by the rain the previous day. Everyone had made it out ok at first until they realized that Sandstorm and her kits were still in the nursery at the edge of the burning camp. Sandstorm, Leafkit, and Squirrelkit were all rescued on time, but Burntkit had stumbled into a burning bush and had gotten severe burns. They got him to safety as quickly as they could, but it was obvious that if Burntkit _did_ survive, he would be permanently scarred for life.

Cinderpelt blinked at Firestar and shook her head. "Fire _did_ save the Clans. But _you_ were the fire. This? This was only flames. And flames are not heroes like you. Flames are killers, and they are _not_ on our side. What happened to Burntkit wasn't prophesized like you were. It was an accident." Cinderpelt looked back down at Burntkit, who was now completely covered in herbs and was starting to twitch in pain.

Firestar nodded slowly, his ears flattened with worry as he looked down at his son. He glanced at Cinderpelt. "Is there anything else we can do for him…?" He asked slowly, struggling to keep his voice steady.

Cinderpelt sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I've done everything I can for him. His fate now rests in StarClan's paws. Go and rest, Firestar. Here; lap up some of this honey. Burntkit should be safe beneath this tree; it's cool and shaded. I need to go check on everyone else. If he starts coughing or making other noises, come and find me. That's a good sign, and at that time I need to give him honey to sooth his throat." Cinderpelt pushed a honey-soaked piece of moss towards Firestar's paws before standing up to go check on the rest of the cats.

The Clan cats were scattered around the base of the Great Sycamore; a place far enough away from the camp's fire to be safe yet close enough to camp that the journey back wouldn't take too long. Heaving a small sigh, the gray she-cat glanced around at the cats that had been injured by the fire. Cinderpelt flicked her tail before limping towards the herb pile on her three good legs and grabbing as many herbs as she could carry in her jaw at once. Turning away from the pile, she watched as cats stood up and started heading towards her. She had some serious work to do.

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"Stop moving, Graystripe, or I'll get cobwebs stuck all over _me_!" Cinderpelt scolded to the large gray tom, amusement in her voice.

"I'll be ok, really! Go and check on the rest of the Clan." The deputy meowed to Cinderpelt, shying away from her paws as she tried to apply cobwebs to his right leg where the fur had been singed off slightly.

"Graystripe, I already checked the rest of the Clan. You told me to before when I tried to help you earlier. It's _your_ turn now. Now please, _sit still_." Cinderpelt applied the rest of the herbs to Graystripe's wounds, noticing with a twinge of worry that she had only a few herbs left. She had run out very quickly when she'd taken care of the other cats in the Clan, and now there was nothing left if Burntkit's condition worsened.

Once the herbs were applied, Graystripe examined his pelt before nodding to Cinderpelt. "Thank you, Cinderpelt. Taking care of all these cats must have been pretty hard for you. Yellowfang would be proud."

Cinderpelt glanced down at her paws and flicked her ears in embarrassment. "Well, I'm no Yellowfang but I try my best."

Graystripe purred, his eyes filled with kindness as he flicked his tail over the medicine cat's ears. "In some ways I think you're turning out to be more and more like her each day."

Cinderpelt purred warmly, blinking in bittersweet happiness. The hole in her heart was still there because of Yellowfang's death, but with each day Cinderpelt grew more and more confident in her abilities. As long as Yellowfang was watching over her from StarClan, Cinderpelt knew that she would be the best medicine cat she could be for her Clan.

Cinderpelt opened her mouth to reply when a howl interrupted her. "He's coughing! Cinderpelt, get over here! Burntkit is awake!" Cinderpelt and Graystripe turned their heads sharply, looking up to see Firestar bounding towards them gleefully.

"Come look! Burntkit is awake! He's going to be alright!" The leader insisted, his voice confident and his eyes glimmering with hope. Cinderpelt stood with a nervous swallow as she remembered her lack of herbs. Hopefully, the herbs she'd given him previously would continue to take affect until she could go out into the forest and search for more.

Graystripe purred at his old friend happily. "That's great! Let's go see him!" Firestar nodded and turned, bounding towards the tree Burntkit had been resting under. Graystripe followed eagerly, his paws tripping over themselves in his haste. Cinderpelt hesitated before following at a slightly slower pace, limping on her bad leg while narrowing her eyes with fear that Firestar's hope would soon be crushed if Burntkit wasn't really feeling better. But sure enough, as the medicine cat approached the leader, the deputy, and the kit, she could hear small, rasping breaths coming from Burntkit.

"Graystripe, will you go and fetch some honey for me? This is great Firestar! It looks like Burntkit might survive after all!" Cinderpelt purred, nosing the small newborn and feeling him squirm and mewl as she tenderly touched his burned skin.

Graystripe bounded away to fetch some honey while Firestar purred happily at his son. He stood, looking exhausted. "Is it alright if I go and check on Sandstorm and the other two kits? Now that I know Burntkit will be ok, I'd like to visit my daughters."

Cinderpelt nodded in understanding, looking the leader up and down. "Of course. Just promise me you'll get some rest soon after. The Clan needs a well-rested leader."

Firestar nodded in agreement, glancing over his shoulder towards camp. "Yes. Tomorrow I'll lead a small patrol back to camp to see if the fire is out and how much damage it's cost us." Flicking his tail, Firestar gave Cinderpelt a grateful nod before padding away towards the Great Sycamore where Sandstorm and her kits lay, casting glances at Burntkit over his shoulder.

Once Firestar was away, Cinderpelt turned to the kit with a faint smile while Graystripe bounded back over to her with a honey-soaked piece of moss in his jaws. "Here." He purred, setting the moss on the ground beside Cinderpelt.

The medicine cat purred and nodded gratefully to Graystripe. "Thank you, Graystripe. Now go and rest; you look tired." Graystripe cracked his jaws in a wide yawn before nodding in agreement. He mumbled a goodnight before padding away to where Firestar and Sandstorm were laying with their kits.

Cinderpelt purred before grabbing the moss Graystripe had brought her in her jaws. She held it over Burntkit and squeezed the honey into the mewling kit's open mouth, purring lightly when the kit swallowed the honey and quit its squirming.

The medicine cat examined the kit carefully, her blue eyes distant. He would have been a handsome kit had he not been scarred. His reddish brown fur was charcoaled, and he was missing his left eye along with the fur on the left side of his face. Large patches of his pelt had been eliminated by the fire, including the fur on his ear, back, and tail as well as his front left paw.

Sighing sadly and shaking her head, Cinderpelt limped to a grassy spot near the kit before curling up and closing her eyes.

The moonlight bathed the clearing in a silver light, and the stars twinkled in Silverpelt above. It would seem that for the first time in days, peace had fallen over the forest.

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A shadow moved in the dark, falling upon the kit that had been badly burned. Eyes flicked to Cinderpelt's sleeping frame, and slowly the shadowy cat bent down and grabbed Burntkit by the scruff of his neck. Creeping through the dark silently so as not to wake anyone from their peaceful sleep, the cat snuck away from the Great Sycamore with Burntkit dangling in his jaws. The kit blinked open it's single blue eye curiously, but it didn't protest.

Time passed slowly as the figure wove its way quietly through trees and shrubs, padding deeper and deeper into the forest. After what seemed like moons, the dark brown tabby reached the Thunderpath, glancing both ways before setting Burntkit down on the pavement.

Burntkit was shaking with pain; the back of his neck where the warrior had grabbed him was aching because of his tender, fleshy skin. The cool wind hit his patched pelt and made his skin burn with pain. He blinked his large eye and looked up at the cat that had "kitnapped" him.

Dustpelt looked down at Burntkit with a snarl before growling; "You won't be giving me anymore trouble, you hear? Its bad enough Sandstorm chose Firestar over me, but now they have three kits. Well, two now." Dustpelt grinned wickedly and picked the kit up again before padding to the middle of the Thunderpath.

All was silent; no monsters were running by on a late-night trot tonight. The dark brown tom set down the kit once more, a wicked sneer on his face. "Firestar may have won Sandstorm, he may have won the position of leader and he may be viewed as the forest's most loyal warrior, but I have the power to take a little piece of him away. So long, Burntkit." Dustpelt lashed his tail wickedly before padding away, leaving Burntkit to sit alone on the Thunderpath.

Burntkit shivered and whimpered, not understanding what Dustpelt had said but knowing that he was now alone for the first time. Suddenly, the ground beneath him shook and Burntkit toppled onto his side. He flattened his ears, his eye widening in fear as he tried his best to crawl as close to the edge of the Thunderpath as he could. Too late. Burntkit turned with a fearful mewl as he saw two blinding lights running towards him at unbelievable speed. They were as bright as the sun, and nearly blinded him. Letting out a gasp, Burntkit jammed his eye shut and wished desperately that he was back home with his mother and sisters.

**You know, I thought I escaped harshness when I left rp, but I guess I was wrong. There are still jerks, even here (coughcoughTaintedLullabycoughcough) I SAID ****NO RUDE REMARKS****!!! If you have nothing good to say, then crawl up your butt and read something else. I am sick of jerks. As for the rest of you who have good things to say or positive criticism, thank you! It's much appreciated!**


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